The Samsung Galaxy S4 GT-19505G (popularly known as the Google Play Edition of Samsung Galaxy S4), is a high end Smartphone by Samsung that recently received its Kitkat (ver 4.4.3) update. GT-19505G users who have updated their device build to the new KTU84L build will be able to root their devices. This was made possible due to the efforts of the famed hacker, Chainfire (alias), who has come up with an auto root package. By using this particular package, users can root Galaxy S4 GT-19505G for customizing it with custom ROMs.

By rooting your Android device, you give root level access to third party apps and other additions which require such access permissions. Choosing a custom ROM that is compliant with your needs can free up memory space, optimize, speed and save battery for your Smartphone. The only issue with rooting is that it makes the applicable warranty null and void. Moreover, if the rooting is done incorrectly, then your phone will be “bricked” which means that it will never turn on again. It is not as easy as it sounds and can take several attempts before the process is completed successfully. But be advised – proceed with rooting at YOUR OWN RISK!

However, if you are still interested in rooting your Galaxy S4 Google Play edition (GT-19505G) and installing a custom ROM, then following these steps:

Preliminary Preparations:

This procedure is only for the GT-19505G. It won’t work on other models. So verify your phone’s specific model.

Back up your data because the rooting process wipes your data clean.

Make sure that at least 60% of battery charge exists before you start the rooting process.

Install the Samsung USB Driver on your system (PC or Laptop) as this would be required to establish the connection with the Smartphone.

Steps:

Go to settings and then select “more”. In this section, select “About Device”. Now you need to scroll down and tap on the build number till you get a message saying “Developer mode has been enabled”. Select the Developer options following which you need to check the box against USB Debugging.

For this rooting, you would need Odin3 v3.07 and the CF-Auto-Root file. This can be obtained by downloading the CF Auto Root Package. Make sure you check the files as the CF-Auto-Root file for the Galaxy S4 GT-19505G needs to have “.tar.md5” extension. This is the only file that will work in this case.

It’s time to begin. First you need to turn off the phone and restart it in the Download Mode. This is done by pressing and holding the Volume down, Home and Power buttons simultaneously. A warning message should ideally be displayed after a few seconds. As soon as the message is displayed, you need to release the buttons immediately and press the Volume Up button. This should take you to the download mode.

Now you need to run Odin3 as an Administrator. When the program has finished loading, connect your phone via the USB port. An “Added” message should come if the connection is successfully established. In case no connection is made, try other ports.

Click on the AP button in Odin and select the CF-Auto-Root…tar.md5 file if the software has successfully recognized your phone. Now make sure that the Repartition option is left unchecked in the Odin window. Once you have checked properly, initiate the flashing process by selecting the start button.

The flashing process should not take more than a minute in any case and when the process completes, the phone will boot up automatically. The device can be unplugged when a green “PASS” message in Odin.

Your phone should have been rooted. This can be checked by downloading Root Checker from Google Play Store which would reveal if you have achieved root access.

If your device has been rooted successfully, custom ROMs can now be installed which would optimize specific features on your device. A lot of custom ROMs are available but the Pure Nexus Edition ROM or the Arrow ROM is good for initial try outs.

Again, be advised that if the rooting process goes wrong then you could damage your phone permanently with no recourse and there is not a solution for getting back lost data if you have not made a backup already. Proceed with caution. Do let us know if this worked for you. Also, you could share some specific ROMs for the GT-19505G that worked for you. It could be of help to others.

About Vinita

Vinita Pariyani is an expert author for the iNewTechnology who has been writing about Smartphone, newest of the tech gadgets, apps and every update that pops up. She is a tech-savvy person who stays on top of cutting-edge technology/ gadgets.